After his 5-year-old adopted daughter sustained horrific injuries to her private areas from being abused with a doll, a Texas man faces life in prison.
John Scott Tufts, 48, was found guilty on three counts of injury to a child on Wednesday in Judge Brody Shanklin's 211th District Court courtroom in Denton, Texas, about an hour northwest of downtown Dallas.
His conviction stems from an incident in August 2016, when his adopted 5-year-old daughter sustained such serious injuries to her vagina that she required surgery and a colostomy bag.
"Tufts did unspeakable acts to harm an innocent child," Denton County, Texas, District Attorney's Office posted on Twitter. "Tufts faces Life in Prison. Punishment starts soon."
In August 2016, while his wife, Georgiana Tufts, was at work, reports the Dallas Observer, John said he left the 5-year-old in the bathtub and when he returned, he saw a Barbie doll stuck inside her vagina. He took a picture of the doll, which had the girl's blood on it, and sent it to Georgiana.
When Georgiana returned home, the young girl was already asleep, but the next day she noticed blood and discharge, so she placed a feminine pad in the girl's underwear to absorb the blood. It wasn't until two days after the alleged incident in the bathtub that the couple sought medical attention for the girl.
She was taken to the Cook Children's Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, and while her parents claim she caused the damage herself, hospital staff disagreed. Along with the injuries to her private areas, the Dallas Morning News reported she had bruising on her head and torso, which were in various stages of the healing process. A doctor told detectives that the injuries were "unlikely" to be self-inflicted and were consistent with abuse, according to WFAA.
"There will be long-term, lasting effects and more surgeries in the future," Denton Officer Shane Kizer told WFAA in 2016.
John was arrested in October 2016 for injuring the child and, according to the Dallas Observer, the 5-year-old told a therapist a month before his arrest, "Daddy is mean. He put Elsa in my booty and I cried."
The girl, who was born in Poland, claimed that a "bad guy" and "monster" hurt her, referring to her adoptive father, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
John told the Dallas Observer that the "monster" wasn't him. "She never said I was the monster," Tufts said. "She said the guy in Poland did it to her."
Georgina was also arrested and charged for her involvement in the girl's injuries and is due back in court on April 1, according to court records.
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